The Solitary Sea
by you'd make a hell of a pirate
Summary: Emma is about to take the few steps towards the pool when she notices a figure... "What are you doing here?" "I could ask you the same thing." Captain Swan, oneshot.


**So I posted this on AO3 already a while back, but I decided I'd post here too... This is a pretty pointless CS oneshot but hey, it's cute and stuff :3 Tell me what you think!**

* * *

As she enters the gym, picking the lock easily, Emma is careful to be as quiet as possible. She makes her way down the unfamiliar hallways until she finds the room she's looking for, behind a set of double glass doors. The lights are off, which is unsurprising considering the time, but she can see well enough to admire the pool and the room which houses it. The huge glass windows surrounding the water look out onto the forest, but all she can see currently is darkness with the vague outlines of trees here and there. The pool itself has soft blue lights at the bottom, illuminating the water and casting reflections of the gentle waves on the ceiling.

Emma is about to take the few steps towards the pool when she notices a figure to her right. The person sits on the ground, one leg out straight and one knee up, back leaning against one of the windows, almost invisible against the black of the night outside.

"What are you doing here?" she asks; loud in the empty, silent room.

"I could ask you the same thing." She recognises the voice immediately and considers turning back and leaving through the doors just behind her, but decides she can't let Killian, of all people, ruin her night.

"I came to swim," she says simply, sighing.

"You don't look prepared," he notes. Her eyes haven't adjusted to the dark well enough to see his face yet, but she can practically feel him smirking at her.

"I wasn't exactly expecting company." She can guess from the following silence that he doesn't understand, and she wonders if she would embarrass him by explaining that she intended to swim in her underwear. Instead of explaining, however, she approaches the water and pulls her boots off. She sits on the very edge of the pool and dips her feet in, letting the bottom of her jeans get wet. It's warmer than she expected, so she drops her legs in further until the water reaches her shins.

"So what are you doing here?" Emma repeats, looking over to where Killian is sitting.

"Watching the water," he says, sounding somewhat distant. She can almost make out his face now; enough to know that he is looking at the waves she has created by gently kicking her legs rather than at her. "It's peaceful, don't you think?"

"Yeah," she agrees.

"Sometimes I need the water's peace," he says. "It's hard to find any in this town."

"It definitely is. There's always something going on, it's always been that way. Well, it has since I came here, anyway." Emma wonders absentmindedly if they've ever had a conversation like this before; casual, and calm.

"Do you like it here?" Killian asks. "Do you ever miss the peace that came with solitude?"

"I never miss solitude," she answers, almost too quickly. "I mean... Sure, I miss quiet, and I kind of miss having my own place, but I never miss being alone all the time." She sees him nod out of the corner of her eye.

"I prefer solitude myself," he says. "As long as I have the water near me."

"To each their own, I guess," Emma replies, flashing him a quick smile.

Not many words are exchanged beyond then, and Emma soon decides she must leave. She already runs the risk of waking Mary Margaret up at an unfair hour, so it's best she gets home sooner rather than later, she explains. Killian, who she can now see, smiles a half smile in understanding and bids her farewell.

As she walks back through the cold streets, the wind biting the bottom of her legs where her jeans are almost dripping with water, Emma hopes that she'll have the chance to actually get in the pool if she returns the next day.

* * *

Emma's wishes are not granted; when she breaks into the gym again the next day and gets to the pool, she finds Killian sitting in the same position against the window, as if she never left him.

"How do you even get in here, anyway?" she asks, trying not to let the frustration bleed too much into her tone.

"Everyone has their tricks, Swan," he answers smugly. Emma says nothing, waiting for a real answer. After a moment of silence, Killian says, "There's a window that's always left open."

Emma sighs and sits near the edge of the pool, disappointed that again she won't be swimming. She watches the water with half her attention, distracted by the way Killian is moving one of his feet; side to side like a metronome, keeping a steady pace. Eventually, her eyes stray from the water until she is looking only at him. He smiles at her, just visible in the dark.

"No swimming today?" he asks. Emma shakes her head.

"Unfortunately not."

"Why do you want to swim, all of a sudden?" He tilts his head slightly as he asks this question, curious, and his foot stills. "I've been here nearly every day since I came to Storybrooke. Why are you turning up now?"

"It's easy to think when I'm swimming," she tells him, returning her gaze solely to the water. "And I've had a lot on my mind lately. I thought maybe I could sort it out or something."

"Interesting," he says, surprisingly not sarcastic.

"I don't think it'll actually work, though. I think it may just be a way to relax at this point," Emma admits.

"Well, relaxing is key to clearing your mind, and it is easier to sort thoughts in a clear mind, after all." At this, she looks up at Killian again, and he shrugs. "Just offering some advice."

"Thanks," she says, almost taken aback herself by the sincerity. "I guess it's worth a shot." Like the night before, Emma removes her boots and approaches the water. This time, however, she takes her jacket off and leaves it behind her, and then puts her legs in without hesitation. After a small amount of deliberation, she lowers herself into the pool, clothes and all. She knows she'll be freezing on her way home and she won't be able to think of an excuse for Mary Margaret if she wakes her up again, but she can't bring herself to care much in the moment. The water is as warm as it was yesterday, and she smiles to herself at the familiar feeling of it surrounding her. She looks up in time to see Killian shift his gaze from her to his hands, which lie in his lap.

"Any help?" he asks.

"Definitely," Emma replies, floating on her back. It's difficult to worry with the water holding her gently and the air around her finally quiet; but it's also difficult to clear her mind when the object of her confusion is sitting mere metres away, watching her. "Not much of a swimmer yourself, no?" Killian chuckles.

"When you spend all your life on a boat, the idea of being in the water below with nothing to protect you becomes rather... unappealing," he says. Emma brings her feet back down to the bottom of the pool and turns to face him.

"You're not _afraid_, are you?" she asks, attempting to hold back a smirk.

"No, of course not," Killian replies, too quickly. Emma now allows herself to grin.

"I can't believe you're afraid of water!"

"I am _not_ afraid of water," he corrects, still avoiding her eyes, "I'm just not fond of swimming, that's all. I prefer to admire the water from afar."

"Okay, whatever you say," she says, raising her hands in defeat. "You're missing out, though. This is a nice pool."

"Yes, well, the lights do make it that bit more interesting to watch," he replies.

"And the heating makes it that bit more enjoyable to swim in," she adds.

"I'll take your word for it."

"I'm not going to believe you unless you prove it, you know," Emma says a few minutes later, after both reaching the opposite end of the pool and returning to where she got in.

"Prove what?"

"That you're not afraid." Killian smiles and shakes his head once.

"Not tonight, darling."

When Emma arrives home, clutching her jacket around her, the way her hand shakes from the cold makes it difficult to unlock the door. She manages, eventually, and is just about to open the door and step inside when it swings open. It's David she's woken this time, and he stands across from her, too sleepy to be properly annoyed, but still he asks her where she's been and why she's coming back so late.

"I was swimming," Emma answers. For some reason, she decides it's best not to mention Killian. David sighs and rubs one of his eyes, closing the door behind Emma as she slips past to go and find dry clothes.

* * *

It's not until Emma's fifth visit to the pool, a number of further civilised conversations later, that Killian makes any move towards the water. On that night, he is already sitting closer to the edge of the pool than usual when she enters; close enough that the lights just about illuminate his face, and she can see the waves reflected in his eyes when he looks up at her.

"Hello again."

"Hey," Emma replies. "Are you going to...?" She trails off, gesturing to the pool. Killian takes a deep breath and holds it for a moment, closing his eyes, before exhaling and looking towards the water.

"I suppose so," he says. He peels his jacket off uncertainly, placing it well behind him to ensure it stays dry, then does the same with his waistcoat. He begins to unbutton his shirt before pausing and smirking at Emma. "Don't get too excited." She rolls her eyes, more annoyed at herself for allowing her gaze to drift than at Killian himself.

"No danger of that," she mutters. His smirk grows as he undoes another button.

"You know, I wouldn't object to you helping, if you want..." Emma glares at him.

"No thanks," she says firmly. Killian chuckles, and Emma makes sure her eyes are strictly on the water as he grins to himself and continues.

"One day, Swan," he says confidently. She decides it's best not to respond.

Once his shirt is off, Killian kicks off his boots and slowly puts his feet into the water. Almost immediately, he pulls them back out.

"This is even worse than I thought it would be," he says, frowning and meeting Emma's eyes. He looks, strangely, slightly vulnerable, and she feels a prick of sympathy for him.

"It's not so bad. You'll get used to it quickly," she assures him. He puts his feet in again, and soon the little of his legs he can while still sitting on the edge of the pool. He begins to swing his legs gently back and forth.

"It's all... Warm and artificial," he complains. Emma shrugs.

"Like I said, you get used to it." For some reason, she hadn't considered that this experience of swimming would be very different to any he'd had in the past.

Killian now slips into the water completely and grimaces. He pulls his hook to his chest, Emma notices, like he's afraid something might happen to it if he leaves it exposed.

"My feet touch the bed," he says, looking up at Emma with concern. She finds herself thinking his incorrect term for the bottom of the pool is quite sweet, and then quickly tries to rid herself of the thought.

"If you swim to the other side, it's deeper," she explains. She hopes that he can't sense her distraction; he would, rightly, in this case, assume he was the cause of it. Fortunately, he is too distracted himself to pick up on it.

"I don't really want to," he says, his expression backing his words up.

"And I'm guessing you don't want to go under?" Killian shakes his head a little too quickly, and Emma has to keep herself from smiling.

"I think I'm done for today," he says, more assuredly than anything he's said since he got near the water.

"The ladder's over there." Emma points towards it, a few metres further down the width of the pool. Killian glances towards it and then towards the edge behind him.

"Can you help me out instead?" he asks her. Normally, Emma would refuse most requests he made, but something about his vulnerability makes her get up from her usual spot and walk to the edge Killian usually sits near. It occurs to her that he could pull her in, but she decides that on this one occasion, it's worth the risk. She holds her hand out to him and he takes it, moving his hook from where it was clutched against him to grasp a space between two tiles. He pulls himself up, and Emma moves out of the way quickly enough that she doesn't get wet. She then lets go of his hand, and he smiles his usual smile.

"You can still hold it," he says, not moving his hand from where she let it go in between them. Emma tries to stop herself from smiling at the speed at which he regained his confidence once out of the water, but a small smile still breaks through.

"I'm good," she tells him, and he reaches instead for his shirt.

"Your loss." At that, she smiles fully, but luckily Killian is too busy dressing himself to notice.

* * *

Emma slips out of the apartment later than usual on the sixth night; Henry was restless, so she lay with him until he fell asleep. By this time, she has mastered the art of leaving and coming back without waking her family up. When she arrives at the pool, Killian appears relieved to see her.

"I wasn't sure if you were coming," he says. Emma apologises for being late and explains the reason behind it, causing Killian to smile.

"But I'm here now," she states unnecessarily.

"Good. I wasn't going to get in without my audience." Emma rolls her eyes, and Killian begins the seemingly laborious task of removing his clothes. "I especially thought you wouldn't like to miss this part of the show," he adds.

"Not for the world," she replies sarcastically, earning a smug expression from him.

"Are you going to join me?" he asks.

"In what?" Emma can hear her own confusion too clearly, and she regrets the question as soon as it's asked. Killian doesn't miss a beat.

"I meant swimming, but if you'd rather -" She cuts him off.

"Please don't finish that." Normally, she'd never be caught off guard, but certain people happen to be undressing and that can be distracting. Said person is looking quite pleased with himself as he approaches the edge of the pool.

"Are you?" he asks again.

"Sure," Emma says. She takes her jacket and boots off as usual, and Killian removes his hook and puts it with his clothes. Emma raises an eyebrow at him; she knows he hates having his hook away from him.

"It's sharp," he explains. "Stabbing is not on my to do list when it comes to you."

"Thanks, I guess?"

"No problem." Killian smiles, and Emma wonders when she started smiling herself every time he does.

She gets into the water first, more comfortable in its warmth than she was sitting at the side, and Killian slips in after her, a metre or two away.

"I don't understand how you find this enjoyable," he says. "It's not even refreshing, with the water like this."

"What, warm?"

"And funny smelling. The smell's worse up close." Killian scrunches his nose up as he says this, and Emma tries very hard not to smile at the expression.

"Your disgust is amusing," she says, slowly swimming back from him.

"I'm a _pirate_," he reminds her. "This is not my idea of fun."

"Try moving," she suggests. "It's not quite as warm that way, and your feet won't touch the bottom." He frowns and takes a single step towards her.

"There," he says. He brings his arms around himself as if he were trying to keep warm, and Emma supposes he feels exposed.

"Can you swim?" she asks. Killian looks offended.

"Can I - of course I can swim!"

"Do it, then," Emma says simply.

"I... Haven't for a while. I'd rather not."

"So you can't?" Killian stays silent. "I can teach you."

"I don't need teaching," he mutters.

"Sure you don't," she says, swimming back towards him. She takes one of his arms and gently brings it out from his chest.

"Okay, maybe I do..." Killian says, and Emma smiles at his predictability.

"Bring your other arm out," she instructs. He doesn't look happy about it, but he does as she says. "The trick is really just learning to float, to begin with. The rest is easy after that." She lets go of his arm but stays beside him.

"How am I meant to do that?" he asks.

"Lean back, relax, keep your arms out and your hips up," she explains. Killian attempts to lean back and then flails his arms, bringing himself back to a standing position again.

"You make it sound easy," he complains.

"It is," Emma replies. "You just let the water hold you." She demonstrates and then returns to his side.

"You make it look easy, too," he says.

"Just keep your arms out and your legs straight to begin with." Killian complies. "Now lean back."

"I can feel myself falling when I do that," he says, staying where he is. Emma puts her hand on his back.

"You're not going to fall. Try now." He leans back slowly until he's almost parallel to the bottom of the pool.

"This is disorienting," he says, turning to look at Emma.

"You're fine, I've got you," she tells him. "Now you relax, but you have to keep your hips up."

"I'll be honest; this is not the situation I expected you to be directing my hips in," Killian says with a smirk. Emma lets go of him suddenly and he grimaces, kicking his legs in an attempt to regain his balance. She puts her hand back on his back and looks at him firmly.

"I could let you sink at any time," she reminds him.

"Understood," he mutters.

"Hips up," she says. Killian does as she asks without speaking, but his smirk returns to his face. Emma decides to ignore it and moves her hand slowly until she's only holding his back with three fingers, then two. "I'm going to let go, but if you stay as you are you'll stay afloat."

"So you say..." he replies, unconvinced. Emma moves her hand away completely and he does continue to float after a small amount of panicked kicking.

"There, see? It's all about trust."

"Thank you," he says, letting his legs sink so he can stand again.

"No problem. Floating on your front is the same except you have to hold your breath, obviously."

"I think I've spent enough time in here for today," Killian says. He approaches the edge of the pool, and Emma pulls herself out first to help him. With no hook it would be even more difficult for him to get out by himself. She takes his hand and then his elbow and pulls him up."

"Thanks," he says again, and she tries not to get distracted by his wet hair as he smiles at her.

* * *

When Emma gets to the pool the next night, Killian is already in the water, and she notices that he's left his hook on top of his clothes again.

"Floating on my front is harder," he says when she enters. "I can't do it."

"Sure you can," she replies. She quickly takes off her boots and jacket and slips into the water next to him. "Same things as yesterday, just remember to breathe between tries."

"I can't get myself up," he says. Emma deliberates for a moment and then puts her hand on his tummy and avoids his eyes.

"Now lean forward." He does, and much like the day before, he floats easily when Emma lets go of him, until he has to come up for air; he comes up gasping and grabs for something to steady him, which happens to be the bottom of Emma's shirt. Once he's steadied himself, he lets go as soon as he realises what he's holding.

"Sorry," he says quickly. Emma has never seen him embarrassed before, and she decides before she can stop her thoughts from straying that it's probably the cutest she's seen him.

"It's fine," she says nonchalantly. "You, uh, you did well."

"Thank you." Killian smiles, and any awkwardness between them is eased as she smiles back. She moves back slightly, still maintaining eye contact.

"You know it's been a week now?" she asks.

"Since we began our nightly trysts?" he says, trying to keep a straight face.

"Don't say that, it makes it sound all..." Emma trails off.

"Romantic?" She grimaces.

"Yeah."

"Not a fan of romance?" Killian asks. "I'll have to keep that in mind."

"I'm not - I mean, sometimes," she mutters, now avoiding his eyes. "Let's not have this conversation."

"Sometimes feelings should be let out, love," he says.

"Sometimes," she agrees. But not, she thinks, to a pirate in the middle of a technically illegal date. _Meeting_, she corrects herself quickly.

"Or they'll find a way to be let out themselves." Killian's voice brings Emma back from her thoughts.

"When they're ready," she replies, more to herself than to him.

"Ooh, I thought we weren't having this conversation," he says, sounding pleased with himself. She can tell from his tone that he's grinning, and looks up to see that her assumption is correct.

"Shut up," she mumbles. His grin takes his lips over completely.

"Make me," he says slowly. Emma makes a snap decision and swims right back up to him, putting her arms around his neck and smiling slightly before leaning in. Killian looks startled for a moment before closing his eyes, and then she pulls away from him. He opens his eyes again and pouts almost comically at her absence, and she laughs.

"It _did_ shut you up," Emma points out.

"Touché," Killian says. He sighs and runs his hand through his hair, and she tries unsuccessfully not to wonder how it would feel if it were her hands in his hair instead. "So I see you don't play nice, then," he says after a moment. Emma shrugs.

"I can play dirty when I want to."

"I'll bet you can," he replies, his usual smirk returning. She simply smiles and rolls her eyes, used to his antics at this point.

"I should probably go," she says, backing towards the edge of the pool and then pulling herself up. "I think Henry might be noticing me leaving."

"You haven't told anyone you're coming here?" Killian asks. Emma puts her boots back on and grabs her jacket, making her way towards him so she can help him out.

"Nope," she says. She takes his hand and pulls him up.

"Neither have I," he tells her. "So nobody knows about me, either?" She pauses.

"Nothing to tell."

"Right," he says.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she says, distracted.

"See you," he replies, reaching behind him for his hook. She's about to get up from where she's sat next to him until he speaks again. "Oh, and Emma?" She turns back to him, and before she knows what's happening, he kisses her. It's over as soon as it began, and she looks at him, speechless.

"I can play dirty, too," he says. Emma takes a moment to compose herself before she responds.

"Touché."

She leaves in a daze, not looking back at him.

* * *

On the night after the kiss, Emma almost decides not to go to the pool again. She sits on the end of her and Henry's bed, while he is hopefully asleep, and weighs the pros and cons of going. In the end, the pros - or possible outcomes - win out, and so she gets up and leaves the apartment as quietly as possible. She doesn't notice Henry sitting up as she leaves their room.

When she gets to the pool, Killian is in the water on the far side, too far away for her to read his expression. She doesn't make any move to get in.

"Do you want to go for a walk or something?" She isn't sure where the words came from but the idea sounds good once it's out of her mouth.

"Sure," Killian replies, mildly confused. He swims towards her, and although he's a bit slow and wobbly she has to admire the fact that he's able to swim that well after only a few days. He looks a bit lost by the edge of the pool before Emma remembers that she's meant to help him, and so goes and takes his hand to pull him up.

"The forest is just outside," she says as he puts his shirt on. "We could go there."

"Isn't that dangerous in the middle of the night?" he asks. He throws on his waistcoat, leaving it unbuttoned, and then his jacket.

"I don't think either of us really have a problem with danger," Emma replies. Killian smiles.

"Right you are," he says, getting his boots on. Finally, he clicks his hook back into place and stands up. "Shall we?" Emma nods and gets up.

"We've got to go through the front so I can lock this place back up," she tells him.

"As you wish," he says. He follows her through halls she clearly knows her way through now to the front door of the gym. She opens the door a crack at first, checking to see there's nobody outside, before she exits and pulls him through, shutting the door quickly behind them. Using her makeshift lock pick, she has the door locked again in a matter of seconds.

"You know, for law enforcement, you're awfully good at breaking and entering," Killian says.

"Well, I wasn't always a law abiding citizen," Emma replies, a slight smile on her face.

"It would appear that you still aren't."

"Only when it suits me."

"Your pirate is showing," he says, as if it's a great secret, and she laughs.

"To you, it always is." By now, they have just reached the edge of the forest, and they enter without pausing.

"You're not going to arrest me for wishful thinking, are you?" he asks. She can just about see his smirk in the moonlight.

"Depends," she says.

"What on?"

"Whether you can get yourself back on my good side." Killian chuckles.

"I'd much rather be associated with your bad side, darling," he says. "I'd say there's much more fun to be had that way."

"That's for me to know," Emma replies.

"And me to find out?" The hope in his voice shouldn't be sweet, but she can't stop herself from thinking it is. She smiles to herself, hoping he can't see her face in the darkness.

"I don't know," she says. "That's your business."

"It's half yours," he corrects her. Emma stops, and Killian almost bumps into her. She turns to him but looks down at the ground, even though barely anything is visible under the cover of the trees during the night.

"Look, I'm..." she begins. He stays silent, and she sighs. "I'm not great with people, okay? I've not had many in my life for long periods of time, and I've had things end badly before, and I guess I'm just... I don't know, I'm not a good choice."

"I definitely disagree with the last point," Killian says. Emma almost smiles.

"I don't think you know what you're trying to get yourself into," she tells him.

"I know enough," he counters. They stay silent for a moment before she speaks again.

"I'm sorry, I'm just not good at..." she trails off, not sure how to make her words work.

"Expressing your feelings?" he offers. She finally looks up at that, with a small, apologetic smile on her face.

"I guess," she says. "But I'm not good at having them, either."

"Is this your way of rejection?" he asks quietly. It's not until that moment that she realises his kiss was his way of proposition. She sighs.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," she mutters.

"What?" he asks. Instead of answering him, Emma clutches his shirt, still wet from his brief swim, with one hand, and his hook with the other, and pulls him closer until their lips meet. Almost instantly, Killian's smiling so widely that she can't stop herself from smiling, too, which makes it nearly impossible to kiss him. She pulls back.

"Stop," she says, only half meaning it.

"I've waited a while," he explains, and she can feel his breath on her lips as he speaks. She's about to reply when he brings his hand up to her jaw and leans down to kiss her properly.

When Emma arrives home a half hour later, she finds Henry sitting awake.

"Mom?" he whispers when she walks in.

"How long have you been awake?" she asks him, kicking her boots off so she can get into bed beside him.

"Since you left," he tells her. "Where were you?"

"Nowhere important," she says, trying not to smile to herself as she lies down.

"Well, I'm glad you're back." Emma can't say she agrees. Henry lies beside her, and it's not long before he's fallen asleep against her side. With thoughts of the days to come, Emma lets sleep take her.


End file.
